Sri Lanka tips

Forums and threads such as these were of great help when I was planning my trip to Sri Lanka so I thought I should pay back the favour and leave a post here with some advice. FYI I travelled to SL with 3 other friends over Easter this year (April 2014).

I’m probably repeating what others have already said here but a good insect repellent is essential. As are sun protection, a hat and sunglasses. I’m used to the sun as I live in a country with a Mediterranean climate where temperatures rise well into the 30s in summer (and autumn sometimes). I was still burnt to a crisp on the one day I forgot to put on sun protection. Pack aloe vera as well. Something I did not read about in any forum is that, if you’re visiting Nuwara Eliya, motion sickness pills might come in handy. I don’t usually suffer from motion sickness, but the drive up to Nuwara Eliya did make most of us feel a bit queasy. Finally, if you have to be at the airport during rush hour make sure you think ahead. As in most cities, at that time, the traffic in Colombo comes to a complete standstill.

We only stayed in SL for 5 days so we thought it best to hire a driver to be able to get from one place to another as quickly as possible. The driver we used was Lalith Chaminda (from Shan Tours). He was great and I would totally recommend him, but I don’t think I can go into detail re our experience with him here; when I did that in my last thread, it was deleted. Just look him up on FB or else message me here and I’ll forward his details.

Sri Lanka is a beautiful country. If you’re planning a trip there, enjoy!

Thanks for the great tips! If you would like the authors for our Sri Lanka guide to see this (especially the motion sickness tip – sounds very useful to me!) then please email it over to [email protected]. You can include more extensive details of Shan Tours there, as well, and anything else you think should be taken into consideration for the next edition.

Hi Andrea,
I know this was written last year, but I am looking to go to SL for 5 days over Easter this year and was wondering what your itinerary was and what you think are the best places to visit at that time of year? If you could email me any details that would be great at [email protected]. No worries if it was so long ago that you don’t remember any more though!
Many thanks,
Caroline

I have been travelling to Sri Lanka for 4 holidays.
It is very important to find a good driver/guide to show you around on the island.
This driver will play an important role in how you will experience your trip.
At least he must have experience, have a good knowledge about his country, give you some extra information about places to visit, hotels to book, restaurants to eat, beaches and temples to see, etc…
And also his personality will be important. For me it has to be someone whom will arrive with a big smile and, social, amusing, someone you can consider as a friend.
I found such a driver/coach. His name is Deesa and he started his own company.
You can reach him on [email protected]
He will be ready to give you the best service and to experience this country in all it’s beauty.